Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I want to take a moment from my Crazy Kitchen cooking and baking tonight to wish My friends and enemies ;) a Happy and Very Blessed Thanksgiving, may your table be beautiful and your plates be full, may your belly not hurt from too much food and may you have enough room for dessert and a good walk afterwards and a fun evening with family and friends

And here is something to ponder!!

Cook Like a Pilgrim!

Remember all of those history book
accounts of the first Thanksgiving? But if you think the precedent-setting first
feast featured turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, and
candied yams at that harvest time meal, you may want to think again. Items such
as waterfowl, wild fowl (yes, there were probably turkeys), venison, chestnuts,
shellfish, possibly porridge made from corn (sometimes sweetened with molasses,
if available), and wild fruits graced that first table, where pilgrims and
Wampanoag broke proverbial bread.According to food
historians, two surviving documents reference the maiden meal but only in broad
strokes. Though turkey again was likely present, experts believe the focus was
more on goose or duck, but that swan and pigeons may have fit the poultry bill
(puns withstanding) as well.It is speculated that small
birds were spit-roasted and large birds were first boiled and then spit-roasted
for flavor. If stuffed at all, experts say it would have been with onion and
herbs or maybe shelled chestnuts—not bread or bread products as we favor today.
Eels, lobster, clams, bass, oysters, and mussels were abundant along the New
England coast and would have found their place at the harvest table. Preserving
by drying or smoking fish was also a popular practice, so fish in this form may
have also been present.White potatoes, originating in
South America, and sweet potatoes from the Caribbean had not yet made their way
to North America in 1621, so the coveted side dishes were likely not even a
twinkle in a cook’s eye, though bountiful pumpkins and squash were there in some
form. Various accounts of the era note culinary practices included hollowing out
a pumpkin and filling the shell with milk, honey, and spices to make custard,
then roasting everything in hot ashes.While cranberries
may have been plentiful, the concept of cranberry sauce and its sugary component
was generations into the future, so a 17th century sweet tooth was not satisfied
in that way. However indigenous plums, blueberries, grapes, gooseberries, and
raspberries grew (and some continue to grow!) wild in the New England region,
and what was in season very likely helped fill the table and certainly rumbling
stomachs.If you’re looking to make history with this
year’s holiday meal, these recipes based on foods from the first Thanksgiving
may give you the opportunity to do just that. While clearly not replicating
recipes and procedures of old — or olde! — as they do not exist en toto
(besides, not many of us still cook with hot ash), the basic ingredients and
flavors are there. M-m-m-m-m-m-m!Pumpkin Shell
CustardIngredients:1 pumpkin, 5-7 lbs.6 whole eggs2
cups heavy cream or milk1/2 cups brown sugar1 tablespoon molasses1/2
teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ginger2 tablespoons
butterWhipped cream, optionalDirections:Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F.Cut lid off pumpkin and scoop out
seeds. Mix remaining ingredients except butter and pour in pumpkin. Top with
butter. Place lid back on pumpkin and place in a baking pan. Bake for 1 to 1½
hours or until mixture has set like a custard. To serve, remove top and scoop
out some of the pumpkin with the custard. Serve with whipped cream if
desired.

Beth Herman is a freelance writer and
frequent Farmers' Almanac contributor with interests in healthy living and food,
family, animal welfare, architecture and design, religion, and yoga. She writes
for a variety of national and regional publications, institutions, and websites.
Her stories, "Extreme Nature, Weather & Wildlife" and "Keeping Warm or Cool
Through Science and Design" can be seen in the 2014 Farmers' Almanac.

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About Me

Hello there, Happy Day to you, I am a Mother, Grandmother and I love to Craft and Cook, Bake and I have a beautiful family who together we enjoy many things and I take time to share many things with you. I have taken many classes in cooking, baking and crafting and I have been lucky to be able to teach classes as well and I really enjoy people. I am always learning new things and trying new ideas as well as improving on old ones. Life is a wonderful Journey and I am making my own path, follow me and let me inspire you. Blessings